The Turnaround
by Apollo The Hedgehog
Summary: An OC story... yup... His name is Nathan, Nathan... well, he doesn't use his last name. It's too much about his past, as everyone will learn. He came to the school for 2 reasons: And he will meet his goals, at any cost. Rated T for violence and some themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, since RWBY OC stories are soooo cliché... I'll do one as well. Oh Goody! **

Nathan boarded the ship, to "his future", as many people called it. He had his bag over his shoulder, wearing a bland grey cap. He looked at everyone at the ship. Everyone was talking with their friends. Nathan weaved his way through the ship, getting to the cockpit. "We're ready to go." He told the pilot.

"Wait, you're the only one?" Nathan nodded to the pilot to answer the question. The pilot returned the nod, and closed the hatch. Nathan walked back to the main area, looking for anywhere to sit. He finally picked out one, with little people around it. He sat down, setting his bag down in front of him. He kept the bag between his legs, and crossed his arms. He shut his eyes, hoping to catch a little rest. He thought everything through again. And again.

Through the window, which, for a short amount of time was reflective, he looked at himself: He wore a outback type-of cowboy hat, with a flat top. He wore a sleeveless, worn down black denim jacket, with a sandy long-sleeved undershirt. He looked down himself, and looked at his holster: a buscadero holster, which held up his pistol. And, he finally looked at his jeans, and how worn down they were. He still had dirt from the station he was at, and all the dirt had settled on the bottom part.

He then heard some sort of commotion, and saw 2 girls, one with redish-dark hair and a red hood, and the taller one had golden yellow hair. The taller one had her hand on the other's back, pushing the red hooded one over to him. He pretended to go back to sleep, tipping his head over, but still could see what was going on. The girl started walking over to him, and stopped about 4 steps in front of him, before retreating back to the taller one. _Hmm... I'm guessing they're related and that the red haired one is shy... heh, that reminds me of..._ He paused, remembering his reason for coming here. He then heard the pilot come over the intercom, "We are now approaching Beacon Academy."

Then, the woman known as Glinda Goodwitch appeared on a TV screen. As Nathan stood up, he noticed a boy run over to the trash can, and start puking. He felt sorry for the kid, but did nothing about it.

After they all got off the ship, they went to a meeting, got dinner, and finally settled down in a large room. Nathan, once again, tried picking a corner, but the 4 corners were taken, so he took a spot next to a wall. He set all his stuff down, and rolled out his bag. Nathan changed into just a plain white shirt and some shorts. He slumped up against the wall, not sure what to do.

He didn't notice it until now, but a girl set her stuff beside him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a black bow sat on her head, and her eyes pierced through the night, like a cat. She was in a book, reading intently. He couldn't tell the title, though. Just as he was about to ask, those 2 girls from earlier came over.

"Hello!" The blonde girl said, "I believe you two may know each other?" The girl reading looked at the dark headed girl, "Aren't you the one that exploded...?" _She exploded? _Nathan thought, _Dang, where have I been?_

"Uh, yeah!" The dark headed girl reached out her hand, "My name is Ruby." But the girl reading went back to her book. Not wanting to give up, Ruby continued, "But, you can just call me... huh..." Ruby pulled her hand back, scratching the back of her head, trying to think of something clever to say, "uh, actually, you can just call me Ruby."

The girl went right back to her book, "...O..kay..." _Really? You're not going to tell you her name? I WANT TO KNOW PEOPLE TOO! _Nathan thought to himself.

"What are you doing?" The blonde girl asked the girl named Ruby.

"I Don't know!" Ruby responded, "Help me!"

"So," Yang started, "What's your name?" The girl didn't respond at first, but finally gave in with a sigh, "Blake."

"Well Blake, I'm Yang!" The energetic blonde responded, "Ruby's older sister." _So that explains why they are always so close together! _Nathan connected. "I like your bow!" Yang complimented.

"Thanks," Blake responded.

"It goes great with your... pajamas!" Yang tried again, complimenting her.

"Right," Blake responded. _Well, I guess she isn't one for conversation..._

Then the awkward silence took over, before Yang broke it, "Nice night, don't you think?"

"Yes! It's lovely!" Blake responded, "Almost as lovely as this book." Blake said, trying to hint at them. But they just stood there, oblivious. Blake pushed again, ""That I will continue to read!" They didn't take the hint again. "As soon as you leave!" _Dang, shots fired._

"Yeah, this girls a lost cause." Yang admitted to her sister. Nathan thought she would agree with her sister, and walk away, but didn't, "What's it about?"

This took Blake off guard, "...Huh?"

"Your book. Does it have a name?"

"Well, it's about a man with 2 souls, each fighting for control over his body."

"Oh yeah! That's...real...lovely..." Yang tried yet again. Ruby walked over to Blake, "I love books; Yang used to read to me every night as I go to bed. Stories of heroes, monsters. They're one of the reasons I want to be a huntress."

This brought a smile to Blake's face. "Why is that? So you'll live happily ever after?"

"I'm hoping we all will," Ruby explained, "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books, as someone who fought for what was right, and protect people who couldn't protect themselves."

Blake smiled, putting her book down, "That's very ambitious for a child," But Blake's smile turned into a frown, "But the real world isn't the same thing as a fairy tale."

Ruby smiled again, a gleam in her eyes, "Well, that's why we're here. To make it better."

Yang then ran over there and gave a her a bear hug, "Oh, I'm so proud of her baby sister!"

"Cut it out!" Ruby told her, and a scuffle broke out between the two. Nathan smiled, looking at this go on.

"Well, Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to-" All of the sudden, another girl came over, whom Nathan recognized immediately, but chose to say nothing. "What is going on over here? Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?" Then Weisse and Yang made eye contact, and said in unison, "Oh, not you again!" Ruby shushed them, and a debate arouse between the three. Then Blake blew out her candles, and decided to get some sleep.

The debate continued for 5 minutes, before a rain of pillows from other students rained down on them like bomb shells. They ran to they're respective mats, and got to sleep. Nathan didn't know how to feel about what just transpired. For one, he finally knew some names, but for another, that girl was here. He was teared in 2. Almost like the book. He finally decided to give up, set himself down, and got some sleep.

Once everyone got up, they served a light lunch, and gave everyone an optional canteen, which Nathan took, and clipped it to his belt, next to his left holster. He then went to the locker room to fetch his weapons. The walk there wasn't a long one, but, form the meeting yesterday, he knew that after the exercise, he will have a team, whether he likes it or not.

As Nathan thought these thoughts, he didn't notice the guy crouched over, getting the tings out of his locker. But was interrupted as Nathan tripped over him. He immediately looked over to Nathan. Nathan thought he was going to be scolded for sure, but instead, he extended his hand to him.

"My bad, man!'"

"No, it's my bad," Nathan took the blame, as he took the hand to get up. "Wasn't looking where I was going."

"Well, it didn't help me getting the first locker!" His accidental victim cracked. They both shared a laugh. He stuck out his hand.

"My name is Erik."

"Nathan." They shook hands, and Nathan finally got a good look at him. He had sweatpants, with three boomerangs attached to his belt, all different colors. His shirt was an Australia clay color, and he had a combat vest on. He had green eyes, and his hair was a Blonde-white mess. He nodded to him, and went on to his locker. He first got out his Sabre, sticking it through the loop on the back of his jacket. He then got his pistols, looking at them closely. He checked to make sure they were both full, and he put his left one first. He then twirled his right on around the trigger hole, and put it in there with precision.

"Woahhhh" He heard someone say behind him. He turned around to see that girl from last night. Oh, what was her name, uh... Ruby!

"Heh, heh, thanks!" He responded, blushing a bit.

"Hey, I never caught your name."

"It's Nathan." He said.

"Nathan..." she wanted a last name. That's the one thing he couldn't do. _I can't tell her... If I do, I'll be done! _Luckily, he got a saving angel. That boy that puked earlier stepped in, concern about something. Ruby and Nathan stood together as a scene between Weisse, the boy, apparently named Jaune, and the superstar Pyrrha. Ruby wanted to talk to Nathan again after the scene stopped, and looked to her right to find no one. _Huh, I guess he left, _Ruby thought, before joining her sister again.

Nathan began the walk to the platforms, wanting to get it over with. As he was walking over there, he saw Erik talking to someone. He was talking to a very muscular boy, and they both had clinched fists. Nathan decided to see what was up. He walked up beside Erik. "Hey guys, what'cha talking about?"

An icy stare between the 2 broke out. Nathan stood there, waiting for an answer. Finally, Erik turned to him, "It's nothing much, just the Cardin guy doesn't seem to know his place!"

"Oh yeah?" Cardin spat, "You don't even know where you are! This is Beacon, not a homeless shelter!" Nathan got in between them, holding Erik back, "Don't do anything you'll regret later!" Nathan hissed at Erik, "He's trying to provoke you!"

"Well, he's doing a damn good job at it!" Erik tried to break free of Nathan's grip, but Nathan held on.

Cardin spat at Erik, "Well, I hope to see you in the arena soon, Lassie!" And with that, Cardin walked away. Nathan looked over his shoulder, making sure Cardin couldn't come back. Nathan then put his hands on both of his shoulders, "Calm down." Nathan said. Erik finally stopped resisting, and Nathan let him go.

"What a dick!" Erik spat.

"I know." Nathan admitted.

"Geeze, I hope a grimm gets him out there!"

"No you don't" Nathan said, "YOU want to get him before the grimm do." Erik looked at him, a smile on his face. They then walked together to the platforms.

Along the way, Erik met up with one of his friends, Alexis. She was tall and blonde, a few shades lighter than Yang's. She had a back-pack, over her cyan undershirt and small grey vest. The vest and shirt didn't come all the way down, showing a little of her stomach. She had a small skirt with a belt on, and had leggings underneath it. She wore sandals with straps on them, as well. Nathan introduced himself along the way, and she did likewise. The conversations they had were mainly advice for the trial ahead, wishing each other luck.

Once they got to the pads, only a few other's were there. They decided to take the pads on the far left, middle, and far right. They waited there as everyone else flowed in. Ozpin finally walked up, and explained everyone 1 more time, and people started to launch. Nathan, who was in the middle, prepared himself. Once the person to his left was launched, he positioned himself to absorb the pad, and then he went off, flying through the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

As Nathan soared through the air, he felt the adrenaline course through his veins. He loved the feeling, the feeling of such a freedom from the laws of this world. It was a feeling that could never be matched.

Once his decent started, he figured his trajectory, and positioned his body for a softer landing. Once he was on the ground, he pulled out his pistols, making sure the area he was in was safe. Once he was clear, he relaxed a bit. He had an idea of where the artifacts lay, but he didn't know how to get there. Sure, he could go on the ground, but that might slow him down. So, he decided to take to the trees, jumping from branch to branch. He had learned he was good at this as a kid, doing... well, what he did was behind him. All that matters is he knew enough parkour to pass.

As he jumped from tree to tree, he kept an eye out for anyone, as he needed to team with someone. The sooner he finds them, the quicker they can get to the artifact, the quicker he can be done. He heard people yelling at each other, but he bothered to check.

Suddenly, there was a small clearing in front of him. He noticed it in advance, and tried to avoid it, but something about it seemed odd. He decided to investigate it, and went straight for it, but kept his distance. He observed the area, and quickly identified it as a grimm trap.

As Nathan decided to leave, he heard rustling in a far bush. He watched as a girl ran out from the bush, followed by 3-4 Ursa's on her tail. Nathan was about to pull his sabre out, until she started laughing. "Ohhh... I'm going to have fun killing you!" She reached to her sides, and pulled out some hybrid weapon. Nathan looked at it: the base looked like brass knuckles, as the weapon wrapped around them. On the brass knuckles were the heads of battle axes, each with edges of gold. Between the brass knuckles and her palm was some-sort of trigger, which Nathan identified as semi-auto pistol triggers.

She charged at the Ursa's head on. As she met the first one, she connected the axe with the cheek of the ursa, which sent it flying back. She then raised both arm's and shot both of the Ursa's in the chest. She turned to the last one, and unloaded the rest of her clip into it's head and neck. _Damn, she just took down 4 Ursa's in 5 seconds! _Nathan thought to himself.

"Yeah! Want more?" She celebrated. Then another bush rattled, and she turned to that one. And then another one, behind her, and she turned to face that one. Soon, so many bushes were rattling, that she was all over the place. Nathan knew this trap well, and knew how confused she must be. Then, his eye's widened, as he saw an Ursa, angled behind her, charge. _Damnit! She won't have any time to react!_ Nathan thought, as he jumped into the air.

She turned, as he jumped, to see the ursa charging her. She shut her eyes, and hoped it was quick. Nathan then pulled out his sabre, and stuck it into the top of the ursa's head, and pulled it out as he rolled to the ground. Nathan knew he couldn't stop there, though. He put the sabre away quickly, and pulled out his pistols. Just as he predicted, 2 Ursa's came from his left and right. _Well, time to use it! _He thought to himself, and channeled his aura to his semblance, and everything slowed down, but his eyes remained the same. In his eyes, everything turned a light blue, and he marked where he wanted to shoot each ursa in his mind. He then shot both pistols, snapping out of the slow motion state, taking out both ursa's at the same time. After those 2 fell, the rustling from the bushes faded away, and subsided. He put both pistols back in his holster, and turned to find the girl staring right at him.

"Gee... thanks for that!" She thanked.

"Heh, anytime ma'am." He responded, as he looked over her. She was a little bit taller than him, but only a few centimeters or so. She was tan, and had dark hair with a blonde strip among the bunch. She had crystal blue eyes, and had a headband around her forehead. Her dress was an aviators coat, and a brown undershirt. He aviator's jack was zipped up half-way, revealing a small gold necklace around her neck. She had a black belt with clips, where she held her now holstered weapons. She had black legging's on, and, on her right leg, had a pocket next to her kneecap, which Nathan assumed was for a knife.

As he looked over her, he saw that there was a hole in her legging, and some red filling it. He looked her in the eye, "You're injured." She looked down to the spot where the hole was, "Oh, it's nothing." She tried to walk it off, and, to anyone else, she would've looked fine, but Nathan did notice a little limp. She walked back to him, and he motioned for her to go to the nearest tree and sit down.

"Why do I have to? I'm fine!" She insisted.

"If we get into another fight, you're movement will be greatly reduced. Just sit down. Besides, we're partners now. We might as well take a break." She considered what he said, and gave in. As she set herself down, Nathan reached for his back pocket, and puled out some athletic tape. As he wrapped her injury, he decided to get to know her, "So, what's your name?"

"Lilly. Lilly Kerrigan." She responded, "and you?"

"Nathan."

"Last name...?"

"I can't remember." Nathan lied. _If she knew..._

"Well, that's a shame." She replied, "So, where you from?"

"West Grail."

"Oh, neat!" A glimmer came upon her eye, "Are you a cowboy?" Nathan chuckled a bit, "Nah, not a full cowboy. Only partially. Where are you from?"

"I'm a local Vale-ian." She said, proudly.

"Huh, never met anyone this far east, not going to lie."

"Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow. "Well, we better go." Nathan looked up, nodding his head. He reached out his hand to her, which she took, and raised her up. He let her try to walk for a bit, then walked through the forrest with her.

Once they reached the end of the forrest, they came upon what looks like a destroyed temple. There was multiple pedestals, and on top of them were chess pieces. They walked over, analyzing them.

"Which one should we take?" Nathan asked.

"Hmm... Why not the black Knight?" Lilly suggested.

"What's the thinking behind that?"

"Well... I mean... the Dark Night himself! Batman!" Lilly joked, laughing at herself. Nathan only grinned, and picked up the piece. They both turned serious when they heard people coming from the forrest. Low and behold, Blake and Yang came out.

"Well, looks like we're not the first ones..." Blake commented. Yang didn't hear her, as she ran to meet her friend halfway. "Lilly!"

"Yang!" They run to the middle with a huge hug, and start talking in a language Nathan never understood: Girl language. Nathan just shrugged, and chose to stand next to Blake.

"Hi, my name's Nathan." Nathan says, as he stands next to her.

"Blake." She responds, still watching the scene unfold. They didn't talk much, and both didn't mind too much. Both were naturally quite anyways. Once Yang chose their piece, they watched a bizarre scene unfold of people flying, dropping, riding, and running. After all of that, All 10 of the people there decided to go.

The walk there was actually peaceful. The birds were chirping, and the grimm run-ins were little to none. That is, until they heard screams from 2 voices. "It's Erik and Alexis!" Nathan then got more serious than he was, "Me and Lilly will help them. You guys go on." He nodded to Lilly, who nodded back, and they went to the sounds of screaming.

Once they got there, the situation became shockingly real to them. There were at the minimum 6 Ursas, if not more. Nathan took out his sabre, and Lilly got out her weapons. They both charged, yelling to get their attention. Nathan went to the right, slicing an ursa across the cheek, and Lilly took the left, slicing one across the forehead.

Nathan couldn't see Lilly, as they were both immediately swarmed. Nathan cut one to his left, then his right, then to his front. He then felt cold claws reach his back. He felt the claws scrape across his skin, opening his back. He spun around quickly, and made a huge scar across it's face, causing it to stumble back. He then jumped into the air, landing on the ursa, and stabbed it in the throat, he turned around, taking out his left pistol, still holding his sabre in his right hand, and shot a few shots at his group. As he shot out the rest of his group, Lilly cut the throat of her last ursa. They looked at each other, and then rushed to Erik and Alexis's sides, who were under a tree. Nathan ran over to Erik, and Lilly to Alexis.

Once Nathan got over there, Erik groaned in pain. Nathan guessed that it was an abdominal injury, due to the most blood being there. As he got more tape out, he looked over Alexis. She looked a little bit better, only a bruise on her head. Nathan angled Erik, so he could get all the way around his stomach. As he taped him up, a scary thought occurred to him, _'Wait... if she was injured in an Ursa attack... why would she have a bruise? The__y__ claw, not bruise!" _

Nathan set the tape down, and drew his sabre. Just as he thought, someone was behind them. When he saw who he was, he was in utter disbelief. "Well, Nathan, we meet again!" Nathan couldn't say he wasn't shocked, but was surprised he would visit him this soon. He wore his usual all black attire, topped with his black cowboy hat. He saw the hilt from his long sword at an angle behind his head.

"You sure do pick your times..." Nathan said bluntly, "Lilly, finish the tape on Erik. I'll take care of him. Whatever yo do, don't get in between us!" He ordered.

He didn't get to see Lilly's face, as, out of the corner of his eye, saw his opponent flash before him. He reached for his sabre and blocked the initial blow, but sent him back a few feet. The second strike came to his left side, so he snapped his wrist to meet it. To not get hit from the momentum, he pivoted to the right, going with the flow. The third strike came in the form of an over-head power strike, which Nathan to move completely. As his sword hit the ground, Nathan charged forward, trying to generate offense of his own. He struck quickly causing his opponent to back pedal form every strike. As he neared the middle, his opponent blocked a strike with an apparent arm-guard, and sent his long sword forward as a jab. Nathan flipped away from this, re-positioning himself.

Just as they both were ready to charge, they both saw a flash of purple light beside them. His opponent turned, and jumped away from the flash. Nathan looked over to see who the creator of this light was, and was not happy to see it.

"Back off my student!" Glinda Goodwitch threatened. His opponent raised his hands, "Geeze, you could ask nicely." And in 1 smooth motion, threw something on the ground, which blinded everyone. When their eyes came back to them, the saw the man had vanished.

Nathan sheathed his sword, an irritated look on his face. He turned to check over his friends again. "Is everyone ok?" Glinda asked from behind him. He gave her the thumbs up, and threw Erik over his shoulder, as Lilly took Alexis bridal style to Glinda. Glinda nodded at the four, "Mr. He- I mean, Nathan, you'll have some explaining to do."

"All in due time ma'am." was all he said as Glinda took them out of the forrest. Lilly then noticed Nathan had 3 claw marks on his back, but decided to say nothing. She knew he was in a bad-enough mood already. She didn't want to tell him of his injury in case it set him off.

A day later, they were all at the team initiation ceremony. There were 12 people left: Nathan, Ruby, Jaune, a guy named Ren, a girl named Nora, Yang, Alexis, Blake, Erik, Lilly, Pyrrha, and Weisse Schnee. Then, the third to last team was announced: Nathan, Erik Cranbrooke, Alexis Axle, and Lilly Kerrigan.

"Your team name will be NAEL, led by: Nathan." The applause started, and Nathan stood tall. Ozpin gave him an emotionless look, trying to study him. He then dismissed them once he got a good enough look. Nathan sat down, getting pats on his shoulders from everywhere.

That night, they all sat in their room. Incidentally, it was in the same dorm as RWBY and JNPRs. They all got to talking, and then the almighty question was asked from Alexis, "Hey, Nathan. Since you're team leader now, you have to tell us your last name!" They all had nods of agreement. The room fell silent, and the only thing heard was footsteps from outside the room. Nathan thought it over, then shrugged, "Might as well. My name is Nathan Hendrix." Suddenly, in only a few seconds, the footsteps stopped. Then, the door was knocked open with a great deal of force, causing a jump from everyone but Nathan, who looked at the intruder. She had her weapon drawn. "Why are YOU here?"

Nathan only gave her a look of amusement, "Why, it's pleasant we finally get to meet, Mrs...

_To Be Continued..._

**I forgot to mention this last part, but I would love some pointers on how to write this, things I'm doing well and not so well. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

"...Mrs. Schnee." Nathan said, trying to show no emotion.

"Why are you here?" Weisse demanded, "Are you here to finish the job?!"

"Mrs. Schnee," Nathan tried to reason, but Weisse would have none of it.

"Why, you already killed my mother, why not finish the job, huh?!" Weisse challenged. Nathan stood up, "Weisse! You don't know-"

"I don't know what? Why you did it? Because I do know!" Weisse yelled.

"Weisse! Listen to me!" Nathan barked.

"Why should I? Listen to your lies? Your cover up to your team? Fine, Nathan, riddle me this: If you didn't do it, who did?"

"Weisse, you know I can't answer that!" Nathan pleaded with her.

"Then why should I believe you?" Weisse demanded to know. Nathan reached for his coat pocket, but kept his hand in there, closing his eyes. He shook his head, taking his hand out of his pocket with nothing. "Weisse," Nathan started, "I wish more than anyone in this room I knew. Almost as much as you. But Weisse, I didn't do it." Nathan paused for a second, "I don't blame you if you still think it's me."

Weisse's face changed from an angry one to a confused one. Without a word, she backpedaled slowly, and shut the door behind her. Nathan sat down slowly. Before anyone could ask, he simply said, "It's a long story..." After that incident, they all agreed to just go to sleep. They all wanted to explore the campus tomorrow.

They all got up at around 7. They all took turns changing and taking showers, letting the girls go first, then the guys. Team NAEL left the dorms at 8, to catch breakfast. Once they got it, they all sat down.

Erik was the first one to catch the elephant in the room, "So... are you going to tell us the dirt between you and Weisse?" Nathan checked over his shoulder, making sure her team wasn't coming in. When he saw the coast was clear, he began his story.

"So, what happened was me and my father were on a business trip, coincidentally to the Schnee dust company."

"Why were you there?" Lilly asked.

"We were there to protect an incoming and outgoing shipment," Nathan paused, recalling the details of the shipment, "It was a 2 ton pound dust shipment, as the Schnee company is a supplier, and a middle-guy company. We met the shipment at the warehouse, and we stationed ourselves outside of the shipment box for 1 week. It was easy, until..." Nathan took a breath, "On the 5th day, we heard a scream, and Dad sent me to check it out. I ran inside, and opened the door, and inside was..."

Nathan closed his eyes, shaking his head, "Mrs. Schnee, dead. But the person who killed her... was the devil. He started by slitting her wrists open, and inserted a paralyzer for the neck-down. He then proceeded to making 50 cuts on her legs, abdomen, chest, and arms. After that, he must've let her scream, before giving her poison, and got away, clean. When I ran in on her, she was coughing up blood from the poison. I went to her side, and tried to give her the Heimlich,"

Nathan paused again, "But she pushed me off, and give me something, but I don't know what it is. It's a pendent type thing, but she told me not to show anyone, but the person who it's intended to. I just have no clue who it is. Then, the police came in, and took me away for interrogation. They let me out later that night, knowing it wasn't me." Nathan finished his eyes closed. A silence fell upon the table.

"Well, I lost my appetite..." Alexis commented, and everyone else nodded.

"I guess we should go explore the campus...?" Erik suggested, to which everyone got up, threw away their food, and went to explore the campus. As they left, they passed team RWBY, but no one said anything. Nathan looked up while they passed, to see the ice princess's cold stare. He set his head down once more and kept moving.

They went everywhere on campus: From the gardens, to the training grounds, to the shooting range, where Erik had an interesting challenge for the shooter. "Hey, Nathan," Erik pointed to a target dummy, "Bet ya can't hit the bulls-eye!" He challenged. Nathan looked at the target, and back to Erik. He drew his left pistol out, extended is arm, and fired, without looking at the target. Of course, he missed wide left. As Nathan looked at the shot, he commented, "Dang, it works in the movies!" To this, they all laughed.

As they got up to leave, a certain buffed student walked up to them. "Hey scrub!" Cardin said as he walked up to Erik, slapping him on the back of the head.

"Hey! How about you go away!" Lilly threatened.

"Oh yeah? You and what army, Mrs. Lilly-pad!" His team behind him went, "OOOHHHH!" like it was the best diss ever heard. They all talked amongst themselves until...

"This army." Cardin turned around, to see a Nathan, staring right at him.

"Ohhh, I'm shaking in my boots, ohhh?" Cardin made fun of him, "What'cha going to do? Shoot me with those water pistols?" Cardin's group laughed and hollered again.

"No, actually, I was thinking Close-Quarters Combat, right here, right now." Cardin's face turned to amused. "Are you kidding? Fine, If you liked getting crushed, be that way!" Cardin began taking off his armor, and Nathan took off his belt and jacket.

For Nathan's size, he was pretty muscular, but Cardin definably had more muscle. As they looked over each other, they got into their fighting stances. Nathan took a lighter stance, as Cardin took a more powerful stance. They both inched towards each other, and Cardin took the first strike. He tried giving Nathan a hard right hook, which Nathan Led away from him with his left arm, and jabbed at the exposed rib from under his right arm. To this, Cardin staggered back, re-pacing himself. He let Nathan come forward, which Nathan took advantage of. As Nathan was moving forward, he jabbed forward, which Cardin caught with ease. He looked into Nathan's eyes, and was shocked to see Nathan, sporting a grin of encouragement.

"What the..." Were the only words that came out of Cardin's mouth, as Nathan grabbed his arm with his free hand, and arm-dragged him to the ground. He then put him into a cross-arm breaker, putting as much weight on the arm as possible without breaking it. In a matter of seconds Cardin tapped out. Nathan let go, and got up. As he got up, he brushed himself off, and offered a hand to Cardin. Cardin only knocked it aside, and got up under his own will power. His group was all around him, putting his armor back on as they walked away. Nathan spit in his direction, and got his stuff back on. His team came over to congratulate him on the victory.

Then, Alexis's stomach growled, "Hey, what time is it?" Erik looked at his watch, "About 6:30. I guess we should get dinner." They all got up from where they were, and started to leave. As they passed their dorm on the way back, Nathan stopped. "Hey, you guys go on and eat without me; I need some time to think." They all nodded understandingly, and left him and his thoughts.

Nathan got to his room, and shut it. He crashed on his head, running his hands through his hair, and intertwining them together at the back of his head. He sighed looking at the ceiling. These past 2 days have brought up some unpleasant memories that Nathan wished he could forget. Her face kept flashing in his mind, that beautiful, unforgettable face. _"WHY CAN'T YOU GET OUT OF MY HEAD!?" _Nathan yelled internally. He slammed his head against his bed once more, letting out a long and exasperated sigh.

He picked his head up, not knowing what he wanted to do about it. "What would mom do?" Nathan wondered aloud. Then, the idea clicked in his mind. He went over to his suitcase, and pulled out his mind easer. Ever since the death, his mom forced him to do this, and he knew that's what she would want him to do. He grabbed it, and looked to the window, and climbed out to the roof.

Team RWBY were now walking to dinner, after doing a little sight seeing of their own. They all were happy to be here... except for Weisse. This school had turned from a safe haven to a living hell. She was going to school with her mom's murderer! "I'm not hungry!" Weisse complained, "I'm going back to the dorms!" They all looked at her, mostly with concern for their team mate. She's been acting so weird today, and no one knew why. They all shrugged, and said their goodbyes to her. She stood their, and watched them leave. She sighed heavily, and stormed to her room.

She ran up to her room, not being able to hold her tears any longer. _I said I was done crying! _She told herself, _Why am I crying!? I'm over it!? _She knew, deep deep down inside she wasn't. She cried into her pillow, weeping her sorrow away. She kept crying, until she heard a familiar tone fill her ears. She heard it before! She stopped crying, and listened...

_Well I heard there was a secret chord  
that David played and it pleased the Lord  
But you don't really care for music, do you?  
Well it goes like this:  
The fourth, the fifth,  
The minor fall and the major lift  
The baffled king composing Hallelujah_

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah...

_Who's playing that? _Weisse thought, then she looked out her window, opening it, and the sound became more clear. She stood their, listening...

_Your faith was strong but you needed proof  
You saw her bathing on the roof  
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you  
She tied you to her kitchen chair  
She broke your throne and she cut your hair  
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah_

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah...

She climbed up to see Nathan, eye's closed, sat down in the middle of the roof, strumming a guitar. She stood their, listening to the chords form the guitar...

_Baby I've been here before  
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor (you know)  
I used to live alone before I knew you  
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch  
and love is not a victory march  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah...

She slowly walked to him, sitting down, leaning he back against his, leaning on him, as he leaned on her. As he began the next verse, she harmonized with him...

_There was a time when you let me know  
What's really going on below  
But now you never show that to me, do you?  
But remember when I moved in you  
And the holy dove was moving too  
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah_

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah...

Weisse couldn't take it anymore; She started to sob, and put her head between her knees, still listening...

_Maybe there's a God above  
But all I've ever learned from love  
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you_

Weisse then realized that something was wrong with his voice. It was much more shakier than it was before. _He's crying...! _She brought her head back up, and helped him finish the song...

_And it's not a cry that you hear at night  
It's not somebody who's seen the light  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

Nathan stopped playing, letting their voiced finish the song...

_Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah..._

They both sat there, in silence, reflecting on what they just did, what noise they just made. Weisse just sat there, sobbing. She started shaking, and, once she started, Nathan turned around, wrapping her in a comforting hug. She leaned on his shoulder, crying. He was still crying, as well, but he knew it was her time to release everything that has been holding her back. He hugged her tighter, closing her closer to her, rubbing her back comfortingly.

They must've stayed like that for 20 minutes. Weisse looked at the 16 year old, eyes red and puffy. "I'm.. sorry... I blamed you..." She paused, not wanting to cry anymore. "I guess I just wanted someone to blame, and-" Nathan put his finger to her lips, hushing her. He looked her in the eyes, and then down to his pocket, taking something out of it.

It was a small silver necklace, with a teardrop on the end of it. Weisse gasped at it, knowing where it was from. To anyone else, it would've looked like any old jewelry, but to Weisse, it was something she's gone a long time without.

"My mom..." Weisse said aloud, looking at it. She looked at him, wanting to see it. He opened her hand, and placed it in her palm."CAn...can you help me put it on?" Weisse asked timidly. Nathan only smiled, and took it from her, going around her, wrapping it around her neck, and tying it at the back. Weisse put her hand on the necklace, feeling it.

"Well... I guess we should get dinner?" Nathan asked awkwardly. She then noticed her stomach in a long half growl. She smiled a bit, "Yeah, let's go."

As they walked down the path, they talked about their thoughts of beacon so far, and how much they've enjoyed it. Everything was just fine, until Nathan stopped, looking dead ahead. Weisse paused, and looked up as well. There stood a girl, wearing a vest and jeans, almost like Nathan's, but she had some modifications made to it. Nathan looked stone-faced. The girl smiled at him, "Hello, Nathan. It's been a while."

"Yes it has, Carman." Nathan replied. She walked forward, arms wide for a hug. Nathan smiled, and put his arms out to greet her. Weisse stepped aside, watching it happen...

And gasped when Nathan received a sucker punch to the gut, hard. Nathan fell to his knees, both arms around his gut. He looked up, and the girl spat on his face. "You shouldn't have come here, boy. This isn't the place for you." She walked by Weisse, giving her no look. Weisse stood there for a moment, before checking on Nathan.

Nathan spat on the ground, still trying to recover. She tried communicating to her, but the only thing coming out of his mouth was the name, "Carman." Just then, Team RWBY and NAEL ran up to them.

"Yo, Nate, you aight?" Erik asked, and got no response.

"Who was that?" Yang asked.

"Carman..." Nathan wheezed out. Then, he got up to his feet, arms still wrapped around his gut. "An old friend."

_To Be Continued..._

**A/N: Chapter done! I did a lot of planning for this chapter. I wanted Weisse to sing in this story, eventually, but not Mirrors. I think she knows more than 1 song, so I had her sing the always great "Hallelujah", the Jeff Buckley version (if you were wondering). I have a lot planned, so stay tuned! By the way, Reviews always appreciated, BUT OC's might not be taken in. You can give it a shot, but no guarantee.**

**I don't own RWBY, or Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley. All right's reserved. **


	4. Chapter 4

Nathan was just peachy in the morning. Just. Peachy. On the positive side, he smoothed things over with Weisse! The bad: His old friend is his enemy now. Fun. Nathan groaned as he got out of his bed. Tomorrow was the first day of classes. And he had 1 more day of freedom. To be honest, he wished he had his classes today. That way, he could put something on his mind, instead of his current situation. He looked at the 4 beds, and noticed that they all were already gone to breakfast. He shrugged, and got changed into his "relaxed cloths": He wore a red Manchester United shirt **(A/N)**, and wore white shorts with a stripe of red down each outside leg. He wore some tennis shoes, that he has had for a few month's now. He looked down on them, and already saw holes in them. He then walked out the door, and went towards the cafeteria.

Once he got his food, he saw the 3 teams sitting together, and he saw a seat next to Lilly. He sat down next to her, greeting everyone at the table. After which, he was immediately bombarded with questions. "Is she an ex?" "Did you piss her off?" "Did she piss you off?" "Do we need to break her legs?"

"No, no, no and NO!" He answered all of them, just wanting to eat his food in piece. As he went for his first bite, Ms. Goodwitch's voice boomed over the loudspeaker, "All first year student's must sign up of an extra-curricular of their choice by this afternoon. You will have your first meeting this evening. Remember: please sign up this afternoon. That is all."

Nathan grabbed Erik's arm, and looked at his watch. "11:30." Nathan said aloud.

"Nathan, you're the only one that hasn't signed up..." Ruby said slowly.

"...Wait, it's 11:30... why are we eating breakfast?" Nathan asked. But before anyone could answer, the voice boomed over the loudspeaker again, "And student's remember that the pre-classes brunch will end at 11:45. That is all, again."

"...dammit!" Nathan muttered as he put his fork down, and ran to the front office to sign up. Once he got there, he saw a massive list with classes on it, and on the top, it said, "Enter the serial-code next to the class to sign up for it. _Well, let's run down the list: _Makeup-artistry, Spear throwers, Video Game club, Detective community, Law and Order, Sport's for Nerds, Nerds for Jocks, blah, blah blah. Finally, he came to one that caught his eye: Gun club: History, Aiming, Shooting. He decided that that was the one he would do. He got the serial code, pulled out his scroll, and entered it. Luckily, he filled the last spot. He then pulled out the roster, and noticed 2 things. One, Ruby was in his class. And 2... _oh god, why...?_He groaned aloud again, and went back to join his friends who were in the courtyard, hanging out.

"Sup guys?"

"Nothing much," Lilly answered, "Here, catch!" She threw something at him, which he caught. It was wrapped up, and, on the inside, was a ham and cheese omelet. "Thank you so much!" He said, as he devoured the omelet.

"So, how's the ex?" Yang asked, teasing him a bit.

"I'll tell you that after extra-curricular," Nathan said, "I'm in there with her, and Ruby." Ruby looked at him, a smile on her face. "Great!"

"Ohhh! Who's it with?" Nora asked, excitedly.

"Hmm... I didn't see a name. Did you, Ruby?"

"Hmm... No, actually." Ruby said, trying to think back to it. They both just shrugged it off, but still wondered who it was.

The rest of the day, they were mainly in their dorm's going from room to room, talking to each other. Almost like a social hour, but all day. Finally, it was time for Nathan and Ruby to go. They changed into their combat clothes, thinking they might need it.

As they went, they got a message from the still unknown teacher. It read, "Meet at the edge of the forrest; bring your weapons." They both looked at each other, and got their weapons.

As they walked there, they started talking about weapons. They started at guns, and ended at Numb-chucks. How they got their? Neither one knew. All they knew is why they stopped. As they went to the forrest, they heard something move from behind them. But when they turned around, nothing was there. Nathan knew better than to fall into a lull. "Keep your hand on your weapon. You never know-" Nathan stopped mid sentence, turned his head to the left slightly, seeing the incoming threat. He put out his left pistol, and used his semblance.

Instantly, everything slowed down for him, as he made a mental X where he wanted to shoot the threat. He kept it marked, and turned his brain to real-time again. He shot the threat right on the X, taking it down instantly. He then heard a snipe shot ring out, and saw a robot land right beside him. As he turned to look at Ruby, her sniper muzzle was smoking. They both saw the third robot coming right in front of them, and shot it at the same time.

They both looked around, seeing if anything else was coming after him. Once they established the area was clear, they relaxed, but kept their hands on their weapons. They walked slowly to the meeting place, where no one was. Suddenly, someone-stepped behind them. When Nathan turned around, their gun was already pointed, but not to him.

He dove in-front of Ruby, arm's over his chest and stomach, and he got caught right on the arm. He landed with a loud -oof. Ruby ran over to him, but noticed that the blood... was yellow? "What the hell type of paintball-gun was that?" He winced out.

"A specially modified one." The man said, as he stepped out of the shadows. Ruby helped Nathan get up, and saw the man. He was a little taller than himself, maybe 5'7". But the first thing that stuck out to him was the eye-patch. It was your typical eye-patch: string around the back of the head, black. Aside from that, he only wore camo: camo vest, camo shirt, camo combat pants, camo boots. Your typical looking soldier-teacher you see everyday.

"And it's safe to assume that you're our instructor...?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, Ruby. My name is Marshal Johnston." He said, looking over the two. "And you're Ruby, and Nathan, right?" They both nodded at their instructor. He smiled, "Alright, let's begin then."

"Wait," Nathan stopped him, before they began, "Where's everyone else?"

"They're with their teacher. I'm your two's teacher." He said, motioning for them to follow him. Ruby looked towards Nathan, to see what they should do. He shrugged, and followed behind the man in camo.

He took them to a little shack on the outskirts of the forrest. He told them to wait out there, and disappeared into the forrest. Ruby immediately turned to Nathan, "You think this is weird too, don't you?"

"I'll admit, it was a bit weird, being separated from the group..." Nathan faded.

"Any idea why?" Ruby asked.

"Well-" Nathan almost answered, until the instructor came back out, with 3 rifles, 2 in one hand, and 1 in the other. "I'll tell you later." he whispered to her, and stood straight.

"Alright, here's the first lesson: we're going to have an evaluation. I brought us 3 rifles, 1 for each. What you're going to do is shoot at the target's in the air, one at a time. Simple, right? Who's first?" Nathan and Ruby stood there, trying to be as passive as possible. Nathan stepped forward first, giving in to the silence. Mr. Johnston tossed him a rifle, and walked him a few feet forward, and told Ruby to move away from him. She didn't know why at the time, but she obliged the order.

Mr. Johnston then proceeded to walk down to the shack, and pulled a lever. Ruby watched as Nathan put his eye down the sight, and waited fro the target. Suddenly, a clay disk shot out of the shack, and Nathan lined up the shot. As Nathan took the shot, something happened, and, in 1 second, he was on the ground, gun 1 foot away from him. Ruby gasped, and ran up to the 16 year old on the ground. She knelt down next to him, shaking his shoulder. "What the blazing-!?" Nathan spat out, as he came right to attention.

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

"I shot his gun." The professor said coolly. Before they could question, he answered, "Rule 1: Expect the unexpected. I think that's enough for the day. I'll see you guys here. Same place, same time."

They walked back at a normal pace, not really looking forward to tomorrow. They knew tomorrow was the first day of their future. Once they got to the dorm, they went into their separate dorms. Both teams still hadn't returned, so it was very quite in both rooms. Ruby sat awkwardly on her bed, swinging her legs, looking at the floor. She couldn't think straight, mainly because there wasn't anything to think about. She looked at her door, and decided to see what Nathan was up to. She got off her bed, and tiptoed to team NAEL door, and knocked. "Come in." Nathan called.

Ruby opened the door, and saw the 16 year old on his bed, looking at a photo. Ruby walked over, "Hey! Watcha lookin at?"

"Oh, nothing," Nathan said, "Just an old memory..." Before Ruby could press on the subject, both their scrolls vibrated. They looked at each other, and pulled out their scrolls.

"Get to my office. Your teams are here already. ~Oz"

The team leaders looked at each other, and set out together to the principles office. Once they got there, they saw all their teammates occupied all their seats, but one, which Nathan offered Ruby. Nathan stood behind his team, specifically Lilly. He leaned his back against the wall, nodding to Ozpin to begin the meeting. "Well, good day to you all, or would it be night? Anyway, there's an urgent matter I want to discuss with you." Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, and cleared his throat, "There have been some... "interesting" attacks on one of our recruitment bases. From the reports, we have not found the perpetrators."

"So," Nathan questioned, "It's up in the air whether its Grimm or humans, and the number of them?"

"Precisely," Ozpin answered, "Now, I guess you're wondering, 'Why is he telling us this when we haven't even began our first day?'. Well, I've decided to bring your teams up to this mission. Don't worry, we won't be going until 1 week from today, so that gives you plenty of team bonding and weapons practice. Now, the important thing: The location. Now, some of you may not like where this is going," Ozpin looked towards Nathan, "Specifically Mr. Hendrix here." Nathan raised an eyebrow, wondering where this will go. "Where to, Ozpin?"

"I'm glad you pushed, Nathan. We're going to _your _home, Jackhammer." Nathan pushed off the wall, eye's full of anger. Erik then noticed that his hands had been clinched since the word Jackhammer, which he made a note of.

"Do you mind if I ask questions, _Mr. _Ozpin?" Nathan put anger on the Mr, signaling he wasn't happy.

"I may not answer all of them, but sure."

"Ok, where to start... ok. Why my team? Why not Carman's team? Their more experienced, and she knows the terrain better than me!"

"Nathan, we both know that's a lie, and we know why your team for obvious reasons."

"Fine. Second, Why did you bother telling us 1 week before, and not after the teams were assigned?"

"This hasn't been an issue until now."

"Until now!?" Nathan spat, "This has been an existing problem for years now! What happened to the hunters that went in 2 years ago!?"

"To be honest Nathan, we have no clue. But, we do have an idea, and you and I will discuss it alone. After this. But, that brings me to another point: The reason you were selected to serve along team NAEL, RWBY. I have chosen you not just for extra support, but for you to experience how it feels under the blaring sun. For endurance, and training. I have an agent their that will aid you and train you in desert tactics."

Ozpin paused, looking over the teams, "I hope you all understand the circumstances of this. Nathan and Ruby will be making the travel arrangements, and hey will do that everyday starting tomorrow. You are all adjourned, except Nathan."

Nathan stepped forward, allowing the other teams to pass. Lilly was the last one out, nodding to Nathan as she shut the door. "Nathan, I have a lot of explaining to do. I will give you everything you want to know. Just listen to me first..."

Lilly was relaxing in their room, waiting for Nathan to return. Their team had already hit the showers, and were waiting on their beds. The did nothing special to their beds, but they did move them to different sides: A guys side and a girls side. Erik was alone, playing on his scroll, while Alexis was on her phone, texting old friends. Lilly just sat their, looking back and forth at the two, just thinking whatever came to her mind.

Then, Nathan walked into the room, silent. Lilly was going to ask what was up, but then saw his eyes, and how red and puffy they were. He stayed silent as he stripped to his boxers and put an undershirt on, climbed in to bed, his back to them, and went to sleep. The 3 looked from him to each other, not knowing how to respond to their leader. They all silently decided going to bed earlier than they originally were. Lilly laid their, pondering what Ozpin told Nathan until she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

**A/N: Chapter done! the A/N was about my favorite club, Manchester United in the premier league. Yeah, i'm kinda a soccer nut, but I'll keep it at a minimum. And, as always, reviews always accepted! Constructive Criticism accepted!**

**May God be with you this week!**

**~Nathan**


	5. Chapter 5

Nathan was in a bad mood the next 3 days. It was only Wednesday, and he wished he could get off the island. He didn't talk much, unless he was required to. And those times were limited to only the planning of the trip, hotel, packing, buying, and team exercises.

Lilly was really concerned about him. She knew Ozpin had said something he didn't like at all. It was 3 days after, and, as little as she knew Nathan, she knew he would've been out of this "funk" by now. She had to think of something, and fast...

Erik looked at his friend with wonder. How can a team leader like him keep to himself. His team were the first people to know his last name, and that was pretty major. You would think he would tell his team what was wrong. But no, he didn't. Erik kept close tabs on him AND Lilly. He noted that she had been looking towards him more and more in their dorm. He decided to let Lilly help him, and not him. Lilly and Nathan were partners in the forrest. Partners over friends was the silent rule in all teams, and he respected it.

Alexis wasn't the first one to see what was wrong with him. Obviously, Ozpin did tell him something. But, as far as to what it was, she didn't know. Even with her academic smarts, she couldn't pinpoint a place. Whatever it was, Nathan's doing a good job of hiding what it was.

_Wednesday Night_

Ruby was on her way to Ozpin's office. Usually, as quite as he was, Nathan would join her. He wasn't anywhere in the dorms, though. She decided to contact him over the scroll.

_"Hey, Where are you?"_

It didn't take him long to reply:

_"I'm working out tonight; Tell Ozpin I need some time to think. Alone. I'm sending you a list of notes that I wanted to cover tonight. Sorry I couldn't make it."_

_ "It's okay. Take as much time as you need."_

After she sent that, Nathan's PDF of notes arrived. On it, had prices, quality, and location of hotels he found. She looked over them as he joined Ozpin's office.

Once she got there, he saw that he was overlooking the school through his giant window. Ozpin turned to see the teenage girl standing there, alone. "Where's Nathan?"

"He needed some time alone." Ruby answered him.

"Hm. That'll be good for him." He sat down, and Ruby took the left seat as usual. "Now, Ruby, I'm sure Nathan sent you a pdf of all the notes he's gathered."

"How did you-"

"But that's not what I want to discuss. I wanted to discuss what's the matter with Nathan."

Ruby instantly objected, "That's private to Nathan. I couldn't-"

"No, Ruby. It isn't about him. It's about someone else. I'm sure he won't mind. After all, this involves as much as Nathan."

"What do you mean...?"

"Well, you see..."

_Beacon Weight Room_

Nathan had his regular gym cloths on: A plain grey tee-shirt, with his team name on the back collar in bold print. He had blue gym-shorts on, that went about 1 inch above his knees. He could feel the sweat dripping all over him, as he gripped his leather fingerless gloves. He kept going, pushing himself, punishing the bag in front of him. He didn't have a care in he world, he just wanted to rip all this frustration out of him. But there was another presence he couldn't shake: Denial and confusion. He kept punching, going past the recommended reps by 25, until he stopped, putting both hands on his knees.

He knew she was behind him, watching him for about 15 minutes. "Why are you here?"

"Just wanting to see what was up." Lilly came out from the shadows, stopping to lean next to the ropes the surround the bag.

"Yeah, sure."

She looked away, "What happened between you and Ozpin?"

"My, cutting to the chase, aren't we?"

"Nathan," her voice changed into one of concern, "I'm worried about you. This just isn't you. Not the same 'Cowboy' I met in the forrest."

"First off, I'm not a 'Cowboy'. There's a difference, ya know."

"Don't get off topic on me, 'Cowgirl'."

"Even farther off now."

"Argh! Damnit Nathan! Tell me!" Nathan opened his mouth to answer her, but shut it again. She saw that he was concentrating on something. _Did I finally get through to him?_

"So you want to know, huh? Well, it's a long story."

"I got time." Nathan looked at her, already in her night-wear of a tee shirt and athletic shorts.

"I suppose you do. After you left, Ozpin sat me down. He started talking about the group that keeps raiding the base."

"So it is actual people raiding?"

"Yeah. I knew about these attacks, and he knew I did. He started to ask me questions of what I knew, which I obliged what little I knew."

"That can't be all that happened," Ruby pressed Ozpin for more information.

"Exactly. I knew everything he knew already, I was just making sure he was being truthful to me. What happened next was his choice."

"Which was...?"

"He asked me what I knew. I told him everything, but I held something back, something I knew was too big, even for him. But Nathan, that boy, just couldn't give up without the full truth coming to light; He know's when someone's holding something back. He pressed me, but I refused."

"You obviously didn't. If you did, Nathan wouldn't be this way. You did it on purpose. Why?"

"You know, Ruby, I think he already knew it, but couldn't bear it. That's why I told him: for clarification."

"Well? What did you tell him?"

"I told him that

He knew of a secret agent that works for them." Nathan stopped, swallowing the saliva that was filling his mouth.

"Nathan, please tell me. I want- no, I need to know."

"Want and need are 2 different things, Lilly. Wanting is wishing you had, or knew, something, but couldn't have it. Needing it means you can't live without it. And, to be perfectly honest, I wish I didn't need to know who it was. I wanted to know, yes, but need? Looking back, I just don't know." Nathan stopped again, savoring his last sensation of a dry cheek. "The secret agent is

Carman Thompson." Ozpin finished.

"Wait, Carman Thompson: The one that sucker punched Nathan? The one that is his old friend?"

"Precisely." Ozpin sighed, "And that was his main reason for him being here. He wanted the answers, and now he's got them: Got them in a now tangled conflict."

"Why don't you arrest her?"

"It's complicated. I can't give you all the details... yet..." Ozpin looked at his watch. "You can leave now, Ms. Rose. And this doesn't leave this room, or Nathan. It will soon enough."

_Beacon Gym_

Lilly held Nathan in an embrace for 10 minutes. He was constantly crying. She did as her mother did to her, and silently shh'd him, until he stopped. Once he stopped, she tried to comfort him, but he got to it before she could, "Wow. It feels great getting that off my chest."

"I'm glad. Now, let's get back to the dorm, shall we?" Nathan nodded, and they left together, turning the one light over the punching bag out.

Nathan and Lilly walked side by side. Everything was resolved, everyone was happy. Lilly kept looking at the smile on Nathan's face. She smiled to his smile, and they kept this process going. Once they got closer to the dorm, though, Nathan slowed them down, wanting to savor every moment.

Lilly learned something that day. Something so glorious, a big victory, like this one...

Can be ended so easily.

Nathan tackled her to the ground, so she would miss the gunshot. Lilly looked at Nathan, and anger filled his eyes. Their eyes met, as Nathan was on top of his team mate, "Lilly, I want you to go inside, and get Erik and Alexis. Get them, and go into the tree behind us. A certain someone will be there. Occupy him until my business is done. Stay low. Stay safe." Nathan then got up, putting his hands into the air.

Lilly saw the Devil, standing only 25 feet behind them. Gun barrel still smoking. "Well well well, we meet again, Nathan."

"Carman, what are you doing?" Nathan yelled to her, still standing over Lilly protectively.

"Settling a bet." Nathan stamping his foot on the ground 3 times, a signal for Lilly to go. Lilly got up, and scrambled into the building, which, luckily, was only 50 feet away.

"So, what bet is it?"

"It's a bet how long it will take to injure the first freshman. And you will be my target."

"But by a gunshot? That's certainly something you're father will frown upon."

"Don't you even dare bring my father into this."

"And, yet, you betrayed my family. How ironic this is."

"...fair enough. How's good ole' Doug, by the way?" Carman put her gun in her holster, walking up to the challenge.

"I'll tell you in a week." Nathan replied, as he met her halfway. They stood at a standstill, hands at each other's side.

"Oh, so you'll be going there for your first mission, eh?"

"Yup."

"How nice, but I think you'll miss your flight."

"Oh, and why is that?" Then Carman charged at him. Nathan put his hands up in a fighting stance, waiting for her first move. She swung at him with a right hook, which Nathan dodged, and tried aiming for her gut, which she jumped backwards to avoid.

"Your CQC hasn't changed, eh?" Carman taunted. She then charged at him again, with a right hook. He did the same dodge, and went for the gut. But, before he could get there, he felt something smash into his right temple, which caused him to roll on the ground. "Well, mine's changed."

"We'll see about that!" Now Nathan charged, right fist starting to accelerate. She caught it with her left, bringing her right leg, aiming for his temple again. Nathan ducked under it, and due to the momentum of her leg, she was forced to break her hold. Right before it broke, though, Nathan charged forward, getting her stomach as she spun around again. "I've gotten better as well."

"So I see." Carman got up, showing no sign of pain.

"So it seems we're evenly matched, in that regard." Nathan noted.

"So it does." Carman said, adding a smug look on her face.

"I guess we finally get to see who's faster, eh?" Nathan challenged, getting ready.

"Hmm... Change of plans." Then, carman reached for her belt, and reached for her walkie-talkie, which wasn't there.

"Looking fro this?" Nathan taunted her, holding up the walkie-talkie.

"Ah, so you still use your old tricks, eh?" Carman said, smiling a bit, "But, as you know, I have a backup plan." She then put her fingers in her mouth, and whistled loudly. Nathan knew who she was whistling for, and waited to see if he would get him.

_5 minutes earlier_

Lilly scrambled up the stairs, and sprinted into their room. Erik and Alexis were talking, until their attention turned to the panting Lilly. "We need to help Nathan. Follow." She commanded as she unlocked their window, opened it, and jumped out the window. Erik and Alexis glanced at each other. Alexis shrugged, and reached for her staff, and jumped out after Lilly. Erik sighed, and jumped out the window after them.

Lilly was peering beside the wall, looking on the unfolding battle. Erik looked to see Nathan, fighting Carman. Then, Lilly's hand entered his vision, her index finger pointed. "That tree. There should be someone in the tree."

"Are you sure? I can't see anything."

"Just do what she said, num-nuts." Alexis scolded. Erik sighed again, and ran over to the tree, careful not to be spotted. He watched the battle as the others got over to him. He peered up the tree, and saw a small piece of a boot. "Alexis, give me your staff." Erik whispered. Alexis gave him the staff, which was in it's travel form. Nathan pushed a button on it, elongating the staff to it's full form. He placed the staff in a hole, making sure it was stable. He rubbed his hands, and jumped up the staff, pulling himself up.

He navigated his way up the tree, making sure that he didn't break any branches. Once he got to his level, he saw his target: He had an earpiece in and a mini eye-monitor. Erik crawled up to him, not breathing. He was right behind him, trying to form a plan, until his concentration was broken by a whistle. The sniper in front of him turned the safety off of his gun, making an electronic beep. He moved his eye monitor to the scope, and readied the shot. "Well, shit. This is awkward." The sniper jumped a bit, and caused the branch to give out from below them.

They hit the ground at the same time. The sniper rifle flew out of his hand, and was in front of the two that were just in the tree. Erik got up first, and went for the sniper rifle. He was about to get halfway to it, until he felt his legs come out from under him. He turned around to see that his opponent had a taser gun in his hand, and ran in front of the still on the ground Erik.

"I've got on shot at this." Erik mumbled as he reached for his black circled boomerang, and lined up the shot. He threw it a little wider, to compensate to the rate of speed his foe was running at. He was about to get to the sniper rifle, until the boomerang hit him. Once the boomerang made contact, a black cord came out of it, tying itself around his knees. His foe went to the ground instantly, landing face first. He looked on, as he felt wind rush right by him. It was Alexis, with her staff out, and knocked the sniper rifle out of the way for good measure.

Nathan watched this unfold, and turned to Carman. "Well?"

"Hm. Good job Hendrix. I'll give you this one." Carman said, as she threw down 3 pellets, which emitted smoke. Team NAEL covered their eyes, and when they opened them, both attackers were gone. They all joined Nathan, how stood their over the pellets. They all got into a circle over it, and looked at each other. Lilly finally broke the silence, "Well, at least we finally got a win over her."

"I guess," Nathan commented, "But I bet we'll have more confrontations between them. Let's all get some sleep." They all nodded, and walked back to the dorm.

Ozpin closed the application on his scroll. "_Hm... Team NAEL vs Team C__AGE. This is going to be an interesting year..."_

**A/N: Chapter done! So, I honestly don't have a lot to say about this chapter, so, as always, Reviews, Constructive Criticism, and Questions always accepted. **

**May God be with you**

**~Nathan**

**I do not own Roosterteeth/RWBY/Mont Oum. All rights reserved. **


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